Stand against veteran suicide.

The Fire Watch is Florida’s fight to end veteran suicide. We are building a life-saving network of community members and organizations trained to identify the warning signs of veterans in crisis and to direct those veterans to the help they need.

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To date, no city, county, or state has systemically reduced its veteran suicide rate. Modeled after CPR, our effort is the first of its kind in the country.

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Our impact

Watch Standers

Estimated Veteran referrals by Watch Standers over the next 12 months

27%

Reduction in Veteran Suicides in Northeast Florida 2019 - 2022

Our Programs

Watch Standers Program

First launched in Northeast Florida and now available statewide, our Watch Stander program mobilizes 10,000+ community members to be vigilant to the concerns of veterans and to direct them to the support they need. To be a Watch Stander, we ask that you view 2 or 3 short training videos, explore a guide of resources available to veterans and sign a pledge. Then we ask that you get out there – on social media, in networking groups, in person – to stand watch and to save lives.

GET STARTED

Veteran Safe Places Program

There is a role for businesses, churches, and other organizations, as well. Qualify as a ‘Veteran Safe Place’ by training your employees as Watch Standers. The more opportunities our community can provide to steer a veteran off a path toward suicide, the lower we can drive the rate of veteran suicide in our community. Find out more by visiting our Veteran Safe Place page.

LEARN MORE

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I have heard nothing but praises about Fire Watch and would like to extend my sincerest appreciation for providing extensive training, expert guidance, and heightened awareness towards the pressing matter of Veteran Suicide.

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NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
"I encounter many homeless people and veterans daily at my job. I am engaged in outreach programs and have plenty of knowledge about resources. A veteran was in need of food and housing - the best place to direct him was to a local shelter that would provide food, showers, and mental care. I refer veterans mostly to local missions."

DW - Duval County
I loved learning about the statistics surrounding suicide and how some of the tendencies are related to how people in the military are trained. It was very engaging and helpful to learn some of the tools and myths about suicide. It was important and informative and also engaging. Derek was very engaging, an amazing presenter! I love the connection to the personal stories as well. I was fully engaged the whole time. Thank you!

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Z.S. Jacksonville, FL
“I asked a veteran if he was suicidal due to noticing a change in behavior and him exhibiting signs of depression. The veteran indicated that he was not suicidal, just feeling down. I referred the veteran to The Veterans Crisis Line and gave him TFW Wallet Card.”

Anonymous - Florida
“I knew a veteran from deployment, the veteran called advising they were having thoughts of suicide and felt that their life meant nothing anymore. I immediately told the veteran that we still needed them here with us and that I knew of some great resources that the veteran could use and that I would stay on the phone until I was longer needed. I called the Veterans Crisis Line so the veteran could speak with someone on the crisis line.”

Anonymous - Florida
"I was at an event at the Veterans Memorial Building with some veteran friends of my husband. One of the guys mentioned a buddy of his was having some Mental Health issues- struggling with his PTSD, falling behind on some of his bills etc. Called the guy up and provided 988 press 1, nearest ER/911 and connected him to some financial resources and helped get him registered with WWP. There was another guy listening to my conversation as I was able to get him connected too."

P.C. - Jacksonville, FL
Got the training, we are also working with VSO’s in our community and getting them to the VA or applicable services

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Clay County Employee
"We had 170 of our staff in Florida complete the "Watch Stander" training which qualifies us as a “Veteran Safe Place” organization with The Fire Watch. CenterWell Home Health is proud to work alongside The Fire Watch. They are doing amazing work in helping all of us recognize the warning signs and reduce veteran suicides.”

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Mario Lamar - Associate Vice President, CenterWell Home Health
"I encountered a Veteran with a Sea bag sitting with his head in his hands outside of a VA Clinic that had been closed. Knowing that clinic had shut down, I approached him and offered to drive him to a VA Clinic that was 2 miles away. He stated that he was referred by the VA to a mental health Clinic, but couldn't find it, we pulled up my GPS and it was 2 blocks away. I offered to give him a ride, but he said 2 blocks was nothing."

IK - Duval County

Our Objective

Our objective is to reduce veteran suicides in our targeted geographic areas by 25% over 3 years when compared against 2019 baseline data. The latest data available is from 2022 and shows a promising decline. Click here for an independent analysis on NE Florida. Click here for an independent analysis on the entire state. In the meantime, we track various interim metrics such as the number of Watch Standers, web page visits, and App usage.

You can read the official report press release here.

SEE THE DATA

Our Sponsors

We have over 1.5 million veterans in Florida. They are family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. They are heroes who have risked their lives to protect our community. Our community is now working together to protect them. Support from these generous Sponsors keeps our programs free to anyone who wants to stand with us against veteran suicide.

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